1. Technical Field
The present invention pertains to surgical warming systems for heating various items. In particular, the present invention pertains to a warming system and method for heating intravenous (IV) solution contained within bags and/or bottles, surgical instruments, blood and drugs placed within appropriate containers, or other objects for use in surgical procedures.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Generally, various items are required to be heated prior to utilization in a medical procedure to prevent thermal shock and injury to a patient. These items typically include intravenous solution, surgical instruments, bottles and blankets. In order to provide the necessary heated items for use in medical procedures, medical personnel may utilize several types of warming systems to heat items toward their operational temperatures. For example, ovens may be disposed within operating rooms to heat items to desired temperatures. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 4,495,402 (Burdick et al) discloses a warmer for heating wet dressings and other articles disposed within a heating and storage compartment. The articles are arranged within the compartment in stacked relation and disposed on a plate that is supplied with thermal energy from a heater. The plate includes a center aperture whereby a first thermal sensor is disposed in the aperture in contact with a bottom most article. Control circuitry is disposed beneath the plate to control the heater to maintain temperature of the bottom most article at a desired level based on the temperatures sensed by the first thermal sensor and a second thermal sensor responsive to heater temperature.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,408,576 (Bishop) discloses an intravenous fluid warmer having a cabinet structure to accommodate a plurality of intravenous fluid bags. A temperature sensor and pad of heating filaments are disposed within the cabinet structure, whereby the temperature sensor enables automatic temperature regulation of the pad of heating filaments to heat the intravenous fluid bags. The heating filaments are covered by a rubber layer to prevent melting of the bags during heating. A temperature indicator disposed on the cabinet structure permits a user to ascertain when a desired temperature is attained, whereby an intravenous fluid bag is removed from the intravenous fluid warmer via an opening defined in a side of the cabinet structure.
The warming systems described above suffer from several disadvantages. In particular, ovens typically do not have a high degree of accuracy or control, thereby enabling use of items having temperatures incompatible with a medical procedure and possibly causing injury to a patient. Further, the Burdick et al and Bishop warmers employ heaters that generally contact a portion of the article being heated, thereby heating the articles in an uneven manner and enabling formation of hot spots. Moreover, the Burdick et al and Bishop warmers generally permit direct contact between an article and a heater, thereby enabling the article to become damaged from excess heat.
In order to overcome the aforementioned problems, some warming systems utilize heated air to heat articles placed within these systems. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,282,264 (Reeves et al) discloses an apparatus for thawing and warming solutions or fluids for intravenous administration. The solutions are typically contained within bags and placed within a tray disposed toward the top of an apparatus cabinet. A heating element is disposed within the apparatus cabinet whereby an impeller forces air past the heating element and into an air plenum. The air plenum extends from within the apparatus cabinet and curves over the top of the tray to direct and evenly distribute the heated air over various articles placed in the tray. A temperature sensor measures air temperature to enable a controller to maintain the heated air within a desired temperature range.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,297,234 (Harms et al) discloses an apparatus for rapid thermal processing of transfusion fluid, such as blood or blood components. The apparatus thaws a bag containing frozen blood or blood components by directing a flow of air across a heating coil. Temperature sensors measure the temperatures of the air and blood, whereby a control system monitors the sensed temperatures to maintain air temperature at a particular level, and to terminate thawing in response to a bag temperature of 30xc2x0 C. The apparatus further enables rapid freezing of blood by directing air across a cooling coil and upon a bag containing blood to freeze that blood. The control system monitors sensed blood temperature via the temperature sensor, and terminates freezing in response to a bag or blood temperature of xe2x88x9230xc2x0 C.
The warming systems described above utilizing heated air to warm items suffer from several disadvantages. In particular, the warming systems heat items simultaneously to only a single desired temperature, thereby being incompatible for applications requiring various items to be heated to different temperature ranges. Further, the warming systems control item temperature based on temperature of flowing air measured within a compartment separate from the items, thereby providing less accurate temperature control of the item storage compartment and for maintaining items at a desired temperature. Moreover, the warming systems have fixed storage capacities and are limited to a certain quantity or size of items, thereby being incompatible with items having dimensions beyond those of the respective system storage capacities, and/or requiring use of additional systems or heating cycles to accommodate additional items. Conversely, the warmer systems may utilize excess resources when used for quantities of items substantially less than their storage capacities. Therefore, there exists a need in the art for a surgical warming mechanism including multiple units or compartments under individualized control for simultaneously, accurately and independently maintaining the units or compartments at different desired temperatures in order to accommodate and maintain various quantities of items contained within the respective compartments at those different temperatures. In addition, there exists a need in the art for a surgical warming mechanism having an adjustable storage capacity to accommodate appropriate quantities or sizes of items for particular applications.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to simultaneously maintain various items at different desired temperatures for use in medical procedures.
It is another object of the present invention is to simultaneously maintain various items at different desired temperatures for use in medical procedures via a warming system constructed of individually controlled and various sized warmer units, whereby each warmer unit is maintained at an associated desired temperature.
Yet another object of the present invention to simultaneously maintain various items at different desired temperatures for use in medical procedures via a warming system including a single cabinet structure having multiple compartments, whereby each compartment is maintained at an associated desired temperature.
Still another object of the present invention is to simultaneously maintain various items at desired temperatures via a warming system having a selectively adjustable storage capacity to accommodate varying quantities or sizes of items for different applications.
The aforesaid objects may be achieved individually and in combination, and it is not intended that the present invention be construed as requiring two or more of the objects to be combined unless expressly required by the claims attached hereto.
According to the present invention, a surgical warming system provides a manner in which to heat various medical items, primarily medical solutions generally contained within different sized bags and/or bottles, independently and simultaneously to enable the items to be immediately utilized for a particular medical application. The term xe2x80x9cmedical solutionsxe2x80x9d used herein refers to intravenous solutions, blood or other solutions that are administered intravenously to a patient. Specifically, the surgical warming system includes various compartments, at least one and generally two or more compartments, whereby each compartment is separately heatable and controllable over its own range of temperatures, typically in the approximate range of 86xc2x0 F.-104xc2x0 F. The compartments may be modular in the sense that the compartments may be implemented as separate warmer units that are stacked one atop the other. Alternatively, the multiple compartments may be constructed into a single cabinet structure whereby the compartments have varying dimensions, preferably to receive different sized intravenous bags and/or bottles. The heat within each compartment is provided by forcing air through a heating chamber and into the compartment whereby the forced air is recycled and mixed with make-up (e.g., outside) air to maximize control of air temperature. Each individually controllable compartment includes a corresponding heating unit and controller that enables an operator to simultaneously maintain the individual compartments of the same warming system at different desired temperatures in order to heat items or groups of items contained within the respective compartments to those different temperatures.
The above and still further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of specific embodiments thereof, particularly when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals in the various figures are utilized to designate like components.